McDonald’s opens doors

In a transparency-driven move, McDonald’s held its first Quality Symposium last week in Chicago for industry influencers, media and suppliers. “Consumers are asking, ‘What does all-beef mean? Where does the cheese come from?’ It takes an industry to serve a quality meal every time. One of the ways to do this is total transparency,” said J.C. Gonzalez-Mendez, McDonald’s vice president of U.S. supply-chain management.

The symposium addressed the topics of production and distribution, the role that socially responsible practices have in quality, and how the supply chain anticipates changing consumer needs. McDonald’s also announced the role out of a virtual “open doors” tour on its Web site where viewers can learn how the chain’s food is made from the farm to the table.